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Tag: national assembly

  • PDP Senators condemn police raid on Ekweremadu’s guest house

    PDP Senators condemn police raid on Ekweremadu’s guest house

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Senate Caucus Friday evening condemned in strong terms the police raid on Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu’s guest house in Abuja.

    The police on Friday raided the National Assembly guest house in Abuja assigned to the use of the Deputy Senate President Senator Ekweremadu.

    The police was said to have claiming that a whistle blower tipped them off that Ekweremadu hid arms and money in the property.

    The Caucus in a statement in Abuja by its spokesman, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe described the Police action as unwarranted, unacceptable and a deliberate attempt to muzzle the opposition.

    Abaribe also faulted police explanations that they acted on whistle blower tip off.

    He noted  that the “failed gestapo-like operation was nothing but a smokescreen to cover up a carefully orchestrated plot to intimidate Senator Ekweremadu and by so doing cow the opposition from pointing out the failings of the government of the day.”

    According to the caucus, “the raid said to have been ordered by the Inspector General of police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, on a property owned by the National Assembly was a willful affront on democracy.”

    “We had raised alarm on this plot not too long ago and now they have carried out the assignment only to reach a dead end, to the embarrassment of the police and other anti-democratic forces bent on casting a wicked shadow on our fledgling democracy.

    “We of the Senate PDP Caucus will never be intimidated or cowed in discharging our constitutional mandate of providing a responsible opposition.

    “Is it not an irony that the raid in the National Assembly guest house is coming on the eve of the democracy day anniversary?

    “A raid on a property of another arm of government is a dangerous continuation of attack on the institutions that affects the needed checks on the excesses of the executive.

    “It cast an ominous sign and this must stop,” Abaribe said.

     

     

  • NEITI applauds Senate, calls for speedy House concurrence to PIGB

    NEITI applauds Senate, calls for speedy House concurrence to PIGB

    The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) has applauded the Senate for the passage of Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB) and called for speedy House concurrence to the bill.

    A statement issued in Abuja on Friday by Dr Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, Director, Communications for NEITI said the decision of the Senate to consider the bill as priority resulted in its passage.

    He described the passage of the bill as legendary and historic, given the challenges the bill had passed through in its legislative journey for almost two decades.

    Orji said that NEITI as an agency set up to enthrone transparency and accountability in the management of extractive industries in Nigeria, “has legitimate interest in the PIGB in view of its strategic importance to the realisation of its mandate.”

    He said that NEITI, therefore, called on the House of Representatives to find similar courage to give the bill accelerated consideration on its merit in overriding public interest.

    The NEITI director of communications said that the passage of the bill came more than seventeen years after the process commenced in April 2000.

    “We note that the objective of a petroleum sector law remains to develop a dynamic governance framework that will re-position the Petroleum Industry.

    “Also make the sector to fully embrace competition, openness, accountability, professionalism as well as better profit returns on investments.

    “NEITI also notes that the public outcry that greeted the failure of the last National Assembly to pass this important Bill.

    “Perhaps this informed the current Senate’s resolve to revive legislative interest on the bill resulting in the milestone achievement recorded at the moment.

    “We are delighted that to avoid the controversies that killed the last PIB, the current Senate, carefully assembled experts who carefully broke the Bill into various segments beginning with the governance aspect of the proposed law.

    “The PIG bill now passed by the Senate is a product of this creative initiative”, he said.

    He said current stagnation of investment opportunities in the Industry and negative consequences to the economy due to absence of the new law “made the agency to publish a researched Policy Brief titled “Urgency of a new Law for the Petroleum Sector” in 2016.

    He said that NEITI shared the publication with members of the National Assembly; which alerted the nation that Nigeria had so far lost over $200 billion as a result of absence of the Law.

    “And these lost revenues were as a result of investments withheld or diverted by investors to other (more predictable) jurisdictions’’.

    Orji said that the hedging by investors stemmed from the expectation that the old rules would no longer apply, but not knowing when the new ones would materialise.

    He said that NEITI’s 2013 audit of the sector revealed that a cumulative $10.4billion and N378.7billion were lost as a result of under-remittances, inefficiencies, theft or absence of a clear governance framework for the sector.

    Orji said the cost to the nation in 2013 alone was N1.74 trillion.

    He said that it was now hoped that with the prospects of a new Law coming into place, the huge revenue losses to the nation as a result of governance lapses would be eliminated.

    According to him, NEITI looks forward to carefully studying the contents of the PIGB as passed by the Senate and called on all stakeholders to commend Senate for what had been achieved so far.

    Orji also commended the media, civil society organisations, industry, stakeholders and experts for their valued contributions to the process.

    He said that NEITI would hold a multi-stakeholders dialogue on the provisions of the bill as passed by the Senate to set the stage for informed stakeholders’ engagements “on how this Bill will positively influence the on-going reforms in the oil and gas industry.”

  • National Assembly budget

    National Assembly budget

    •By fulfilling their promise to make public details of the Assembly’s budget, the Senate President and House Speaker have acted honourably

    For once, there is positive news from the National Assembly as it released details of its spending plan for the year last week. It was the first time in the history of the Fourth Republic, and followed strident agitation by the critical sections of the public – the media, labour movement and civil society organisations.

    Controversy has always trailed the one-line presentation of the legislature because the National Assembly had always ignored calls to open up their budget details. The lawmakers continued to insist that all the public needed to know was the amount to be spent, not the details of who spends and how. They have also pointed out that the judiciary allocation has never been made public, following the attainment of independence status by the two arms of government.s

    But the public never gave up, arguing that, if the executive could be made to throw open details of its budget, nothing also stops the legislature from doing same. It appeared irresponsible for the lawmakers to subject ministers to gruelling sessions of defending their budgetary requirements while shielding theirs. This year, however, in place of the one-line stipulation, a 33-page breakdown was released. It is now possible to understand that managing the assembly is expected to gulp N14.9 billion, while the National Assembly Service Commission is expected to receive N2.4 billion.

    General Services has an allocation of N12.5 billion, with the National Assembly Legislative Institute looking forward to receiving N4.3 billion. The service-wide vote is N391.3 million. It is the duty of the Public Accounts Committee of the two chambers to monitor how public fund is being expended, thus holding many sessions to which the public is admitted. Thus, the committees are allocated N261 million.

    The 109 senators and 360 members of the House of Representatives are to draw their emoluments from the N80 billion earmarked for the purpose. The running cost of the two chambers is also to be drawn from the vote. The openness is a further proof that democracy has no room for secrecy and opaqueness. Every Naira drawn from public purse must scrupulously comply with standards towards enabling the public monitor public expenditure.

    We agree with the publicity secretary of the national ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, that, “by this action, the leadership of the National Assembly has demonstrated that they are in tune with the yearnings of Nigerians for a transparent and open government. We are confident that by this unprecedented action, the National Assembly has taken a major step forward in improving its estimation in the eyes of all citizens.”

    It must, however, be pointed out that Nigerians still deserve to know exactly how much the legislators individually draw from the pool monthly. There are still so many votes hidden in generalisations. We find it difficult to understand why none of the 469 members of the National Assembly could come out boldly to release all about his sundry receipts from the public till. This is a challenge that we think anyone who describes himself as a progressive should easily pick up and lay the controversy in this respect permanently to rest.

    It is equally untenable that the judiciary’s budget remains a one-line provision. If judicial officers are to draw money from the Federation Account, their salaries, sundry allowances and running costs of the courts should be published in full. A situation whereby it took the arrest of some judges to know they draw special benefits unknown to general appropriation principles is unacceptable and should be corrected now. All arms and departments of government have a duty to imbibe the spirit that they are accountable to the public for all their spending and activities.

  •  Constitution Amendment: CCT now on First Line Charge

     Constitution Amendment: CCT now on First Line Charge

    …Judges increased from 3 to 40

     

    The House of Representatives Special Ad-hoc Committee on the review of 1999 constitution has moved to insulate the Code of Conduct Tribunal from political influence and enhance its efficiency and effectiveness.

    To this end, Members of the committee unanimously agreed that Code of Conduct Tribunal should not only become full-fledged ‎court, but be listed among the courts that benefit from the first line charge meant for judiciary.

    The committee also agreed that there should be more than one tribunal to handle breach of code of conduct considering the size of nation and baglog of pending cases. For this reason, the committee is proposing an increase in the number of judges of the Code of Conduct Tribunal from three to at least 40.

    The committee chaired by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Sulaimon Lasun Yussuff  after a robust debate at the last Monday meeting of the committee, consultants and PLAC Representatives concluded that only cases involving death penalty, enforcement of human rights and interpretation of the constitution would be entertained at the supreme Courts.

    All matters relating to pre-election matters or election matter and any other cases would be terminated at the Appeal Courts, the committee said.

    The committee so far has treated 40 Bills and at the last meeting, considered the Judiciary ‎Reform Bill. The Bill is a consolidated Bill prepared by heads of courts and judicial bodies in Nigeria.

    The Bill was forwarded to the National Assembly on 26th of January 2017 by the then Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice W S N Onnoghen (CFR) and was sponsored by Hon Aminu Shehu Shagari, chairman House committee of judiciary.

    Some of the highlights of the Bill indicated that the judiciary is trying to review the composition of members of Supreme Court from 21 prescribed by the constitution to 16.

    On the other hand, the proposed law seeks to increase the prescribed minimum membership of the court of Appeal from 41 to 100 justices.

    Similarly, another proposal by the judiciary seeks to reduce in a radical manner the type of cases that goes on appeal to Supreme Court to only three.

    The purpose of this, according to a statement from the committee, is to reduce the workload of the Supreme Court and also increase the capacity of the court of Appeal to shoulder additional responsibilities, including entertaining appeals from the National Industrial Court of Nigeria.

    Members of the committee retained the 20-man composition of the Supreme Court but increase the minimum membership of court of appeal to 100.

    The committee also agreed that cases from the National Industrial court should terminate at the court of Appeal, for this reason, a special division for Industrial matter would be created in line with the existing ones for customary law and Islamic law.

     

  • 150 ghost workers discovered at National Assembly

    150 ghost workers discovered at National Assembly

    An ongoing staff verification at the National Assembly has led to the discovery of about 150 ghost workers, The Nation has learnt.

    A hundred of the ghost workers were discovered in the House of Representatives, sources said.

    “The verification exercise has turned up fundamental discoveries,” one source said.

    The verification is part of the measures put in place to reduce the running cost of the legislative arm.

    It was gathered that the debt profile of the National Assembly which is put at N17billion has been giving the leadership some concern.

    The huge debt is understood to be largely responsible for the inability of the management to procure utility vehicles for the lawmakers at once, as well as upgrading of existing facilities and embarking on other projects.

    A sum of N7b is earmarked for the purchase of utility vehicles for the lawmakers in the 2017 budget.

    To address the debt and other management issues, following a protest by legislative aides, the management embarked on the staff verification exercise that commenced last year with legislative aides.

    The legislative aides have been paid only one quarterly allowance of N75,000 per head since the inauguration of the 8th Assembly.

    N9.6b including N150m for capital projects was allocated to Legislative aides by the National Assembly management in the 2017 budget.

    In a memorandum to all lawmakers, details of legislative aides attached to individual lawmakers were requested.

    This was prompted by reports that some lawmakers employed fewer than the mandatory five aides.

    The lawmakers were requested to provide the names, designation, cadre and other details of their aides.

    The management has already reduced the number and salaries of legislative aides to the presiding officers and their deputies.

    Between them, the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker have about 20 aides earning between N450,000 and N950,000 monthly.

    Done with the legislative aides, the management embarked on staff audit exercise whereby all civil servants were directed to physically appear before a panel with their employment letters.

    The completion of the physical appearance was followed by physical payment of salary which did not go down well with a number of workers.

    The table payment of salary that began in April may last through till June, it was learnt.

    This became necessary as it was discovered that some workers that turned up for the physical verification failed to show  up for the salary table payment.

    Sources said some names on the payroll are those of those “have either left the service or transferred from NASS.

    “Some that have either retired or dead still maintain their places on the payroll.

    “The discovery of all these was made possible by the physical audit exercise.

    “It is now obvious that the management was just burdened by induced manipulations but I think by the time this is concluded and necessary sanctions applied on those found culpable, the fortune of the institution will begin to improve,” she said.

    The staff verification exercise also became imperative following allegations of falsification of appointment details by some senior staff jostling for the position of the Clerk of the House.

    The incumbent, Gani Ojagbohunmi has a year to retire from service, it was learnt.

    Irregular inter-departmental transfer without documentations and approval was also cited as part of the reasons responsible for the staff audit exercise

    Some Directors were alleged to have falsified their age in order to gain undue advantage for the existing vacancies in the management cadre.

    According to the source, no fewer than five Heads of Departments, especially those seconded from other establishments have changed their records of service in order to prolong their stay in service.

    Efforts to get reaction from the Clerk to the National Assembly (CNA), Mohammed Sani-Omolori failed as his security aides told our reporters that the CNA could only be contacted through phone.

    They told our reporters to call the CNA.

    After being told that the CNA’s phone numbers were in not in public domain, the reporters were later referred to Yahaya Dan Zaria, Director, Public Affairs (Office of the CNA), who also refused to see the reporters but asked Director, Information and Publication, Ishaku Dibal to interface with the reporters.

    Dibal informed the reporters that answers to their queries could  only be provided by the Secretary, Corporate Affairs, Bala Shehu Jabo who remained unavailable, despite several visits  to his office.

  • Breaking: Osinbajo receives 2017 Budget

    Breaking: Osinbajo receives 2017 Budget

    Acting President Yemi Osinbajo on Friday received the 2017 Appropriation bill.

    The budget was passed by the National Assembly last week.

    The document was submitted to Osinbajo by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly matters (Senate),  Ita Enang,.

    According to him, it would be assented to by the Acting President after the laid down procedure.

    Details Later…

  • Progressive youths condemn Fayose’s alleged ‘Anti-People’ Policies’

    Progressive youths condemn Fayose’s alleged ‘Anti-People’ Policies’

    Youths in the progressive’s bloc under the aegis of Southwest Youths and Peoples Movement (SWYPM) Friday staged a protest in Ado-Ekiti against what they called “anti-people policies” of Governor Ayo
    Fayose.

    They described some of the policies of the Fayose administration as “retrogressive and inhuman which has inflicted hardship on the people of Ekiti.

    Carrying placards with various inscriptions, they marched through the streets in Ajilosun area of Ekiti State capital chanting solidarity songs. They said the cancellation of some populist policies of former
    Governor Kayode Fayemi by Fayose has brought untold suffering on the people.

    SWYPM National Coordinator, Taiwo Ajayi, said some of the policies of the Fayose government which has allegedly set Ekiti back include the scrapping of N5,000 social security allowances for 25,000 elderly
    people which he said has caused the death of over 2,946 beneficiaries.

    Ajayi also condemned the cancellation of 19 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs), scrapping of Ekiti State Peace Corps, reduction of Ministries from 24 to 14, sacking of over 900 street sweepers employed
    by Fayemi, sacking of over 200 House of Assembly staff, denial of leave bonus to civil servants and non-payment of workers’ salaries despite receipt of federal allocations and other funds.

    The SWYPM boss criticized the execution of what he called money wasting ventures and projects by Fayose noting that the aborted airport project claimed the life of a plantation farmer whose land was
    taken over and his crops destroyed without prior negotiation or compensation.

    Expressing dismay with “massive hunger in Ekiti”, Ajayi claimed that Fayose’s stomach infrastructure policy has not brought relief to the people as “the random distribution of 5 kg bags of rice and two-week
    old layer chickens” cannot be compared with wealth or job creation programmes that can bring food to the table.

    The youths at a meeting before the street protest resolved to commence early mobilization of Ekiti youths and other stakeholders to ensure that a progressive government that will return Ekiti back to the good old days return.

    They also called on the Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, the National Assembly, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the Police and other relevant agencies to intervene in the alleged victimization of innocent youths especially those who are active members of the defunct Buhari Campaign Organization in Ekiti.

    When contacted for his reaction to allegations of Southwest Youths and Peoples Progressive Movement during their protest, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr Idowu Adelusi, promised to react later.

    Adelusi simply said: “We will react tomorrow “.

  • Senate stops 38 agencies from expenditure of capital votes

    Senate stops 38 agencies from expenditure of capital votes

    …Gives Buhari two week ultimatum to submit budget

     

    The Senate Tuesday barred 38 corporations, agencies and parastatals from further expenditure of their capital budget 2017.

    The upper chamber also gave President Muhammadu Buhari two week ultimatum to submit the 2017 budget of corporations, agencies and parastatals of the Federal Government for consideration and approval of the National Assembly.

    It said that the submission of the budget proposals should be done within two weeks in compliance with the Fiscal Responsibility Act and the Constitution.

    It resolved that affected corporations, agencies and parastatals should stop forthwith further expenditure from their capital vote pending the submission of their 2017 budget to the National Assembly in line with Section 21 of the Fiscal Responsibility Act.

    The lawmakers further resolved that to urgently amend the Fiscal Responsibility Act to penalize infractions of non-submission of budget for appropriation.

    Only on Tuesday, the Senate said that 38 agencies are in breach of the Fiscal Responsibility Act for failure to submit their 2017 budget for approval by the National Assembly.

    The resolutions followed the unanimous adoption of a motion entitled: “Non-submission of 2017 budget by public corporations in violation of the Fiscal Responsibility Act” sponsored by Deputy Senate Leader, Senator Bala Ibn Na’Allah (Kebbi South).

    Na’Allah in his lead debate said that the Senate should be worried about the non-submission of the 2017 budget proposal by statutory corporations to the National Assembly.

    He noted that Section 21(1)(2) and (3) of the FRA stipulates that “The government Corporations and agencies and government owned companies listed in the Schedule to this Act (in this Act referred to as the Corporation) shall, not latter that six months from the commencement of this Act and for every three financial years thereafter and not later than the end of the second quarter of every year, cause to be prepared and submitted to the Minister their Schedule estimates of revenue and expenditure for the next three financial year.

    The Act also said that “Each of the bodies referred to in Section (1) of this Section shall submit to the Minister not later the end of August in each financial year: a, An annual budget derived from the estimates submitted in pursuance of subsection (1) of this section; and b, projected operating surplus which shall be prepared in line with acceptable accounting practices”…….

    Na’ Allah observed that non-compliance to the provisions of the FRA constitutes abuse of power and economic sabotage aimed at frustrating the current economic measures being taken by the present administration to address the economic recession.

    He noted that the absence of penalties in the provisions of FRA have emboldened and encouraged the perpetration of the Act.

    Na’Allah said that Senate should be concerned that the FRA is failing in its responsibility through complacence in the execution of its mandate.

    Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu who seconded the motion noted that the Constitution is supreme while its provisions shall be a binding force on all authorities and persons throughout the country.

    Ekweremadu said, “This constitution is supreme and its provisions shall have a binding force on all authorities and persons throughout the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It goes further in section 80(2) to say that “No money shall be withdrawn from the consolidated revenue fund of the federation except in the manner prescribed by the National Assembly.”

    “We are here talking about responsibility of governance. There cannot be any hard responsibility than Fiscal Responsibility because that is the beginning of all evils, we must begin to ensure that we live by the laws we make for ourselves. If we say that ministers are supposed to send the estimates of various agencies under them with the appropriation act of each year that has to be done.

    “I recall Mr. President in 2016, President Muhammadu Buhari sends to this National Assembly the appropriation bill for that year together with those estimates. While in 2017, the ministers find it impossible to accompany the same appropriation act 2017 with those estimates of the agencies under them.

    “We cannot be going forth and back. I believe that this is time for us to insist under section 88 that gives us power of oversight that this has to be done. We make laws here for the good governance of this country and that is actually what we have to insist. I believe that time has come when we are going to insist that all agencies should stop the expenditure of public funds unless it is appropriated in accordance with section 80 of the constitution which we have sworn to uphold.

    “It is our responsibility today to ensure that ultimatum is given to agencies under this government to bring this estimates for us to duly appropriate that is why the constitution provided for a full time legislature because there are enormous work to be done.”

    Senator George Thompson Sekibo (River East) asked “if a man who is to give the law fails the law but happens to him because if a man puts a law and another man fails.”

    He described the non-submission of the budget estimates of the agencies as a gross misconduct that should not be glozed over “because they are spending public funds.

    Senator Solomon Adeola said that the non-submission of the estimates is deliberate.

    He suggested that committees should meet with affected agencies.

    Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki, thank Na’Allah “for this important motion.”

    Saraki said that the motion is at the heart of the fight against corruption in the country.

    He said,”Truly this motion is at the heart of this fight against corruption and it is very important as we have seen that independent revenue, the amount of money from independent revenue even exceeds how much we get on oil revenue.

    “So, it is a huge amount to our revenue line even when we are talking about looking for money to fund projects, hospitals, education. This is where the source of the revenue are and I cannot see how we can continue in a society where we are fighting corruption where people will be spending money without approval, without appropriations, it must stop, it will stop and it is going to stop from now.

    “Clearly we have made our position that based on this amendment this agencies they must get their budget to us in two weeks and committee chairmen I want to appeal that once we get the budget on our own part as well let’s ensure that we do it publicly, very diligently and try and turn it around as quickly as possible.”

    Saraki also said that agencies that did not pass through the right channel to submit their budget to the National Assembly should do the right thing.

    Affected agencies included Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC,) Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASEI), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA).

    Others are the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), National Maritime Authority (NMA), Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), National Sugar Development Council (NSDC), Nigerian Postal Service (NPS), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

    The list also includes the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), National Communications Commission (NCC), National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) and National Broadcasting Commission (NBC).

    Others are National Insurance Commission (NIC), News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Nigerian Copyrights Commission (NCC), Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Radio Nigeria, Federal Housing Authority (FHA), Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA), National Business and Technical Examination Board (NABTEB), Federal Mortgage Bank, National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), as well as Oil and Gas Free Zone Authority (OGZFA).

     

  • Buhari’s $5.815bn Chinese loan faces hurdles in Senate

    …Summons Amaechi for explanation

     

    President Muhammadu Buhari’s request for the National Assembly’s endorsement of $5,815 billion loan suffered setback Tuesday in the Senate.

    The Federal Government planned to raise the loan from China Exim Bank to execute the modernization of Lagos-Kano, Kano-Kaduna, Lagos-Ibadan and Lagos-Calabar rail lines.

    Following a motion by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (Abia South), the Senate resolved to invite Minister of Transportation to explain why South East corridor rail line was omitted in the areas covered by the proposed loan.

    The upper chamber however rejected a prayer that urged the Senate to suspend consideration of the loan request pending until correction of the apparent oversight of the eastern parts of the country is made.

    The motion entitled “Outright Omission of Eastern Corridor Rail Line in the request for approval of Federal Government 2016-2015 External Borrowing (Rolling Plan)” was hotly debated on the floor of the Senate.

    Abaribe in his lead debate recalled that on 26th of April, 2017 the Federal Government laid before the National Assembly a request seeking an approval for a loan of $5,851 billion from China Exim Bank to execute the modernization of Lagos-Kano, Kano-Kaduna, Lagos-Ibadan and Lagos-Calabar rail segment;

    He observed with dismay, that the above sections of the rail line that the loan was being sought for covers only a section of the country, the western corridor or sections;

    The Abia South lawmaker noted that the Eastern section of the rail segment, which has a link between the South Eastern to North Eastern parts of the rail line is completely excluded from the request;

    He further noted that the loan being a Federal Government borrowing would be paid for by all SECTIONS of the country; therefore every section of the country should be taken into consideration;

    He said that he is aware that there is a Railway Master Plan developed by the Ministry of Transport and of which such plan has not being referred to in the current borrowing plan;

    Abaribe also said that he is aware that for the railway projects to have a meaningful impact on the development of the country; it should cover all parts of Nigeria.

    He expressed concern that the complete exclusion of the Eastern section that links the four zones of South-South, South-East, North-Central and North East and the key cities such as Port Harcourt, Aba, Enugu, Makurdi, Lafia, Gudi, Jos, Bauchi and Maiduguri is inexplicable,

    He prayed that Senate to suspend consideration of the loan request of any guise until the correction of this apparent oversight of the eastern parts of the country.

    He also urged that Senate to invite the Minister of Transport to appear and explain the reasons for the exclusion of the Eastern Corridor of Nigeria’s Rail Lines from the proposed loan from China Exim bank.

    Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu who seconded the motion said that the Senate should see injustice done to any section of the country as injustice to all.

    Ekweremadu said that it is on record that the Federal Government had been rehabilitating rail lines in the country with the exception of the rail lines in the South East.

    He noted that the promise of the government that the rail line in the South East would be accommodated in future is doubtful.

    Ekweremadu said that no section of the country should be excluded in development projects.

    But Senator Gbenga Ashafa, (Lagos East) described the information in the motion as “inadequate and inaccurate.”

    Ashafa who is also Chairman, Senate Committee on Land Transport, said that the Lagos-Kano and Lagos-Calabar rail lines covered the areas listed in the motion.

    He said that Onitsha and Aba areas are also covered in the plan of the rail line.

    He urged the Senate to look at the issue dispassionately insisting that the loan should be secured for the development of the country.

    Ashafa added that government is a continuum.

    Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki said that leadership of the National Assembly took up the issue with President Buhari.

    Saraki said that the meeting of the National Assembly leadership with the executive informed the second letter of the President on the issue.

    He said that the second letter of President Buhari specified that every section of the country would be covered by the loan.

    Saraki said that if the report of the Senate committee on Local and Foreign Debts failed to cover the South East, the Senate would resolve how to deal with the loan.

     

  • SERAP to Osinbajo: Reject wasteful spendings by NASS

    SERAP to Osinbajo: Reject wasteful spendings by NASS

    The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has asked the acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo to put pressure on the leadership of the National Assembly to cut its proposed budget for 2017.

    It described the proposed spending of NASS on the number of expensive official vehicles, legislative aides, travels and transportation, souvenirs, and photocopiers as “wasteful and unnecessary “.

    The organisation urged the acting President to “assent to the budget only if it truly reflects national development priorities, and not serve as a tool to satisfy the lifestyle of our lawmakers.

    “To allow public funds to be spent as proposed by the National Assembly would disproportionately affect the socially and economically vulnerable and push them deeper into poverty and deprivation”, it stated.

    It said in its letter dated May 15, 2017, and signed by SERAP executive director Adetokunbo Mumuni and addressed to the acting President, “In a country where many of our general hospitals cannot provide emergency treatment, and at a time public funds are needed to improve these facilities, it is retrogressive to spend these funds to provide exotic cars for our lawmakers or fund needless travels.

    “Such funds ought to be meaningfully spent to provide clean water, build classrooms, provide materials, train teachers and pay outstanding workers’ salaries.”

    SERAP in the letter copied to Professor Philip Alston, UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights stated further, “the more public funds that are spent to buy expensive vehicles for our lawmakers rather than servicing the new vehicles bought last year the less resources that will be available to make sure that Nigerians enjoy the right to an adequate standard of living and the rights to health, housing, food and education.”

    The letter reads in part: “When read together, the obligations under the Covenant to take steps to achieve economic and social rights progressively according to the country’s national resources implicitly forbid spending on such apparently wasteful projects. We are concerned that of the N125 billion proposed by the National Assembly in the 2017 budget, N6.4bn is to purchase official vehicles; N1.6bn to insure the vehicles; N777m to buy photocopiers; N55.623m to buy souvenirs; N807m to fuel generators; N11bn for travels and transportation; N9bn to pay legislative aides, and N750m for medical supplies.

    SERAP believes that the presidency now has the chance to show that the 2017 budget would not prioritise wasteful spending by the National Assembly over and above urgent national development priorities, and the need to improve Nigerians’ access to basic necessities such as interrupted electricity supply, quality education, affordable healthcare, clean water, good roads, as well as pay outstanding workers’ salaries across the country.

    “SERAP urges you and the presidency to require the National Assembly to justify the wave of fresh spending on several of the items purchased last year, and many of which will presumably remain in good condition.

    “SERAP also urges you to persuade the leadership of the National Assembly to henceforth adopt and use human rights budgeting as a tool of tracking Nigeria’s accountability toward economic, social and cultural rights. SERAP believes that a budget is a fundamental government tool for national development priorities and should not be a shopping list to satisfy the taste of high-ranking public officials and parliamentarians.

    “SERAP believes that the proposed spending of public funds by the National Assembly suggests that the leadership does not conceive of national budget as a blueprint for social and economic policy priorities.

    “SERAP believes that by cutting the proposed spending by the National Assembly, the presidency would be working to address and mitigate the negative effects of economic recession and crisis in the country on Nigerians living in poverty in particular and the socially and economically vulnerable in general.

    “SERAP notes that Nigeria is a state party to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The Covenant guarantees to all Nigerians legally enforceable economic, social and cultural rights such as the rights to food, health, and education. The enjoyment of these rights requires a major commitment of resources from key branches of government particularly the executive and legislature for example through the instrumentality of the budget.

    “When interpreted as prescribed by Article 31 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, the Covenant will impose clear duties on your government to make national budgets comply with realising these economic, social and cultural rights. Therefore, international human rights law requires the government to use the country’s economic resources to fulfil economic, social and cultural rights. Clearly, economic resources of Nigeria are managed by fiscal policies, thus providing a direct link with the national budget.”

    “The lack of enjoyment of these human rights would increase poverty and hunger, which in turn would threaten the right to life and health of many socially and economically vulnerable, including women and children. These groups of people are bearing the brunt and feeling the impacts of the economic crisis on their standards of living, their jobs and their homes,” it added.